1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk carrying device for carrying a disk by a rotatable feed roller and to an optical disk recording/reproducing device having the disk carrying device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of optical disk recording/reproducing device, particularly optical disk recording/reproducing device for automobile use, there has been a strong demand from the market for the size and thickness reduction, and technology for realizing this is being actively developed. In order to achieve the size and thickness reduction of the optical recording/reproducing device, there is adopted a method of carrying an optical disk directly held by a feed roller and a disk guide therebetween when the optical disk is inserted into and ejected from a device, rather than a method of placing the optical disk on a tray (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
FIG. 1A is a schematic top view of a lower chassis in an optical disk recording/reproducing device for automobile use 100 of this kind, where components are illustrated on the same plane for operational description. FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of the same. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the front of the device is shown in the right side of the figures, and a disk carrying device 11 is provided in one of side portions of a lower chassis 10 which is a main chassis of the device. The disk carrying device 11 includes a metal feed plate 12 extending in a width direction in a front portion of the lower chassis 10, where a rotary shaft 13 is provided protruding from the center of both side portions of the feed plate 12 and is rotatably supported by the lower chassis 10. A rubber feed roller 14 expanding from a central portion toward both end portions thereof in tapered fashion, is rotatably attached to rear end portions of the feed plate 12. The feed roller 14 is inserted into a roller shaft 15 by a loose fit so as to slip relative to the roller shaft 15. Incidentally, as the roller shaft 15 is thin and long, a sleeve 16 is press-fitted into a central portion thereof for the purpose of reinforcement. The sleeve 16 is configured to be supported in the central portion of the feed plate 12. The feed plate 12 is urged to rotate so that the side of the feed roller 14 is oriented upward, by extension springs 17, 18 provided respectively between the both side portions thereof and the lower chassis 10. Because of this configuration, a disk inserted in A direction from the front is held by between the feed roller 14 and a disk guide provided in an upper chassis. In this way the disk can be carried by the rotation of the feed roller 14. The disk guide is integrated into the upper chassis or provided separately.
In the disk carrying device 11, a disk carrying motor 21 is provided in one of front end portions of the lower chassis 10. A worm 23 is fixed to a motor shaft 22 of the disk carrying motor 21, where a toothed wheel 24a in the first stage of a worm wheel 24 meshes with the worm 23, a first idle gear 25 meshes with a toothed wheel 24b in the second stage of the worm wheel 24, a second idle gear 26 meshes with the first idle gear 25, and a roller gear 27 meshes with the second idle gear 26. The worm wheel 24, the first idle gear 25 and the second idle gear 26 are rotatably supported by the lower chassis 10, respectively. The roller gear 27 fixed to a roller shaft 15 of the feed roller 14 engages with and disengages from the second idle gear 26 along with the swinging of the feed plate 12. On the other hand, a gear array of another system is configured from the second idle gear 26 via other idle gears 28, 29 and 30. The last idle gear 30 is configured to be detachably engaged with a rack 31. The rack 31 in the normal state is pulled by a spring, not shown, backward the device, and does not mesh with the idle gear 30.
The operation of the disk carrying device 11 configured as described above will be described. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, when the disk is inserted in A direction from the front, the disk carrying motor 21 rotates in response to a signal from a photo sensor that detected the insertion. This causes the feed roller 14 to rotate via the worm 23, worm wheel 24, first idle gear 25, second idle gear 26, and the roller gear 27. The inserted disk is held between the feed roller 14 and a guide plate provided in the upper chassis and the disk is carried to a depth side of the device. When the inserted disk has been carried to the depth side of the device, the movement of the disk is stopped by a stopper not shown. A switch lever 33 is pushed by an outer periphery of the disk and rotates to allow a pushing tab 34 to push a cam plate 32 in a forward direction. Thus, the rack 31 integrally formed with the cam plate 32 moves forward and meshes with the rotating idle gear 30. The cam plate 32 moves forward to push down the roller shaft 15 of the feed roller 14 by a front portion 32a of the cam plate 32. Then the feed roller 14 separates from the disk, while a disk clamper 35 pushes an insertion hole of the disk against a turntable 36 to fix the disk on the turntable 36. Subsequently, a spindle motor 37 rotates, an optical pickup operates, and thus a recording/reproduction operation is performed to the disk.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. HEI 8(1996)-138298